Portable basketball goal assembly



Jan. 16, 1962 c. P. CHALCROFT PORTABLE BASKETBALL GOAL ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 25, 1960 v INVENTOR. (HAQlEJ C'fi/A C'IPOFT Wa n BY yaw/W Em A 772;?55 VJ [I'iinllii E Jan. 16, 1962 c. P. CHALHCROFT 3,017,183

PORTABLE BASKETBALL GOAL ASSEMBLY Filed March 25, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 k '20 INVEN TOR.

Unit I: Etates atent fifice 3,fil7,l83 Patented Jan. 16, 1952 3,017,183 PORTABLE BASKETBALL GOAL ASSEMBLY Charles P. Chalcroft, 815 25th Ave. W., Eugene, Oreg. Filed Mar. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 17,675 3 Claims. (Cl. 2731.5)

This invention is directed to sports and game appliances, and more particularly, to a basketball goal assembly.

One of the primary objects of this invention resides in the provision of a basketball goal assembly including a hoop portion and a backboard portion, and which further includes adjustable means allowing for a wide range of locations of the hoop and backboard portions with respect to the height thereof from the playing surface.

A further objective is to provide a device of the character described which is readily portable, and which may be quickly and easily dismantled so as to constitute a relatively small package when disassembled.

A further advantage arising from the present construction is that a game appliance of the character indicated above is supplied, the construction being such that the hoop and backboard portion is adapted to be positioned in a vertically outwardly, or forwardly spaced location from the base and main support, thereby lessening the possibility of accidental injury to the players.

Another objective of importance is that the adjustment means included herein make it possible to selectively locate the hoop portion of the goal assembly either horizontally or vertically with respect to the playing surface, thereby enabling users of the device to employ it either in conventional basketball type games, or in games wherein the object is to place the basketball or other projectile through a vertically disposed hoop.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an appliance of the class described above which is composed of readily available material thereby reducing the cost of manufacture, one which is non-complex in assembly, and one which is extremely durable in use and unlikely to the damaged during play.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from a consideration of the following specification, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a basketball goal assembly constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective, on a scale similar to that of FIGURE 1, illustrating the components of the assembly seen in that figure;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view, in vertical crosssection, of the upper portion of the assembly, this view being on an enlarged scale with respect to FIGURES l and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a detail, cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of FIGURE 3, looking in the direction of the arrows; and,

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the radially adjustable lock means employed herein.

Proceeding now to a more detailed description of the invention, and with particular reference to FIGURES l and 2, the basketball goal assembly has been generally designated therein by reference character It). The assembly includes a generally discoidal, concave-convex base 12 formed of heavy metal, or the like, having a central aperture 14 formed therein, and being adapted to rest upon a supporting surface with the convex side thereof disposed upwardly. A tubular sleeve 16 projects upwardly through the aperture 14, and the sleeve includes an enlarged, annular portion 18 at its lower end which is secured to the concave face of the base 12 thereby serving to effectively prevent accidental outward disconnection of the sleeve from the base. The sleeve 16 is internally threaded.

.An elongated, hollow, tubular first standard 20 is adapted to be releasably secured to the base 12, and has an outwardly threaded lower end portion 22 for insertion into the sleeve 14 in threaded engagement therewith and an opposite upper end portion 24. The upper end portion 24 has a pair of diametrically opposed, coaxial openings 26 formed therein.

Telescopically received in the first standard 20 is an elongated, tubular first extension member 28 of such diameter that it is normally freely slidable therein, the member 28 having a pair of oppositely disposed end portions 30 and 32. A plurality of diametrically opposed pairs of apertures '34 are formed at vertically spaced locations along the extension member. An elongated cross pin 36 is secured by chain means 38 to the end portion 24 of the standard 20, and the pairs of apertures 34 in the first extension 28 are adapted to be selectively coaligned with the openings 26 in the first standard 20. The cross pin 36 is then inserted through the openings 26 and any selected, aligned pair of the apertures 34 thereby locating the first extension 28 at any selected one of a plurality of depths within the first standard 20. Thus, the invention includes a first means for adjusting the height of the support assembly.

The upper end portion 32 of the extension member 28 terminates in an inclined end wall 40, and an annular boss element 42 extends outwardly therefrom. The boss 42 includes opposing inner and outer faces, and the inner face thereof is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced, pyramidical protuberances 44, each of said protuberances having an inclined edge 46 radiating from a central aperture 48 formed in the boss 42 and extending transversely therethrough. It is important to note that the edges 46 divide the inner face into four substantially equal quadrants, and that the median line of each quadrant constitutes an inclined valley, the inclination of said valley being opposite to the inclination of the edges 46. The purpose of this appears in more detail below.

A complementary boss element 50 is provided, and is of identical construction with the boss element 42. A headed bolt 52 is adapted to be passed transversely through the apertures in the boss elements 42, 50, and a wing nut 54 is secured thereto. It will be noted that the boss elements cooperate to form a radially adjustable locking means 56.

The operation of the radially adjustable lock means involves the positioning of the respective inner faces of the boss elements 42 and St in face-to-face, abutting relationship. In this relationship, the edges 46 interengage with the valleys in the opposing member, and thus form an interengaging means. The bolt 52 and wing nut 54 serve to effectively lock these elements in the selected relationship, and when it is desired to change this relationship, the wing nut 54 is backed off a distance sufficient to allow the edges 46 to be disengaged from the valleys 48, and moved to a newly selected location. The wing nut 54 is then again moved to a locking position, and further relative rotation between the bosses 42 and 50 is effectively prevented.

Extending from and secured to the boss elements 56 is a stub extension 58 which includes an inner end portion 60, an opposite outer end portion 62, and an inclined end wall 64. Intermediate the ends 60, 62, the stub extension 58 is provided with a single pair 63 of coaxially aligned apertures. The stub extension 58 is telescopically received in the lower end portion 66 of an elongated, tubular second standard 68 which includes an opposite upper end portion 70. The lower end portion 66 is provided with a first pair of diametrically opposed,

coaxially aligned apertures 72, and with a second pair of apertures 74 arranged with the axes of the pairs in generally perpendicular relationship with respect to one another, and with the second pair of apertures spaced vertically upward from the first pair. These two pairs of apertures 72 and 74 are adapted to be selectively coaligned with the single pair of apertures 63 in the stub extension, and a pin element 76, which is secured to the end portion 66 by a chain 78 which may be extended transversely therethrough. By reason of the fact that the two pairs 72 and 7a of apertures are arranged in generally crosswise directions, it is seen that the second standard may be held at a selected one of four possible locations with respect to the stub extension.

Telescopically received in the second extension 6%, from the open end thereof included in the upper end portion 70, is an elongated, tubular second extension member 89, which is identical in construction and assembly, and in function to the first extension 28, and in the drawing, like reference characters have been applied thereto with the letter a appended to distinguish the same.

Secured to the boss 56a is an elongated, substantially rectangular, flat, hoop support element 88 which includes a tapered inner end 90 and an opposing outer end 92. The inner end 90 is secured to the boss 56a which is positioned so that its diametrical plane is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the flatwise extent of the hoop support element.

Fixedly secured to the outer end 92 of the hoop sup port element is a conventional basketball hoop 96 having a net 98 mounted thereon in the usual manner. Also, a pair of gusset type reinforcing members 1%, 102 serve to strengthen and rigidify the connection of the hoop to the hoop support element. Intermediate the ends of the hoop support element 88 are formed a pair of transverse apertures 104.

A backboard assembly 106 is provided, and includes a rectangular backboard element 108, and an L-shaped connecting bracket 11%) having a bifurcated leg portion 112 secured to one side of the backboard element, and a foot portion 114. The foot portion 114- has a pair of side-by-side, elongated slots 116 formed therein, and bolts 118 are adapted to be passed therethrough and through the apertures 1% to secure the bracket 110 to the hoop support element 88. By reason of the fact that the slots 116 are elongated, it is possible to place the backboard at numerous selected distances from the hoop 96.

From the foregoing description of the component elements making up this invention, it will be readily seen that the basketball goal assembly may be disassembled into its various component parts and transported from place to place in a package of greatly reduced size with respect to the overall assembled dimension thereof.

Once the device has been assembled, with the parts in the relation shown in FIGURE 1, it is then possible to increase the height thereof by extending the extension element 28 or 28a to any one of their lengths with respect to the standards 20 or 68, the number of such extensions being limited only by the number of pairs of apertures 34, 34a which are provided.

In FIGURE 3, is shown the means whereby the hoop and backboard assembly may be positioned forwardly of the support with the resultant safety factor in favor of the users of the appliance. In the last named figure, it will also be noted that by means of withdrawal of the pin 76 and rotation of the second standard 68 a onequarter turn, the hoop 96 will be positioned vertically with respect to ground level, enabling the players to attempt to place a projectile substantially horizontally through the hoop rather than dropping the same through the hoop in the usual manner of conventional basketball games.

The radially adjustable lock means which are provided increase the range of adjustments of the device. For example, if a position intermediate to the full and dotted line positions of FIGURE 3 were desired, the lock means intermediate the first extension member and the stub extension could be positioned at a 45 degree angle, and the means intermediate the second extension and the hoop support at a complementary 45 degree angle, with the result that the hoop assembly would still be positioned in the desired vertical or horizontal location, but the height between the same and the playing surface would be decreased substantially one-half the distance between the full and dotted line positions.

Having described an embodiment of the foregoing invention in somewhat complete detail, it is to be understood that this description is offered by way of illustration only, The range of adaptability of the construction presented herein is contemplated to include many variations and adaptations of the subject matter, and it is to be understood that this invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable basketball goal comprising a base member; an elongated, tubular first standard secured to the base member in generally perpendicular relationship thereto; an elongated, tubular second standard; adjustable linkage means releasably securing the second standard to the first standard, said linkage means including an elongated substantially cylindrical first extension element adapted to be telescopically received in the first standard and held at selected depths therein, a stub extension element adapted to be telescopically engaged with the second standard, and radially adjustable lock means securing the first extension and the stub extension together; a hoop and backboard assembly, including an upright backboard element; and means releasably and adjustably securing the last named assembly to the distal end of the second standard, said means including a second radially adjustable lock means whereby the backboard element may be maintained in said upright location throughout adjustment of the first mentioned lock means.

2. A portable basketball goal comprising a base; an elongated, tubular first standard releasably secured to the base and extending substantially perpendicularly therefrom; an elongated, tubular second standard; intermediate adjustable linkage means securing the first and second standards together adjacent their respective proximal ends, said intermediate linkage means including an elongated first extension member adapted to be slidably received in the first standard, said first extension member being held at selected depths in said first standard by pin means extendable through the first standard and first extension member, a stub extension element adapted to be releasably engaged with the second standard, and radially adjustable lock means securing the first extension and the stub extension together; article support means comprising a basketball hoop and backboard assembly, including a vertically disposed backboard element; and upper adjustable linkage means including a top extension member adapted to be slidably received in the second standard, and radially adjustable lock means securing the top extension member to the article support means whereby the backboard element may be maintained in said vertical disposition throughout adjustment of the first mentioned lock means.

3. A portable basketball goal assembly comprising a base; an upright, tubular first standard releasably secured to the base and extending substantially perpendicularly therefrom, the first standard including an open upper end portion; an elongated, tubular second standard having opposite open end portions; means releasably interconnecting said first and second standards, said means comprising a first extension member slidably connected at longitudinally selected positions in said upper end portion of said first standard and having an end thereof projecting outwardly of the first standard, a stub extension secured in the end of the second standard which is proximal to said end portion of said first standard, the stub extension being securable at either one of two perpendicularly related locations, and radially adjustable lock means interconnecting the proximal ends of the stub extension and the first extension whereby the second standard may be located at any one of a plurality of selected angles with respect to the first standard; a second extension being telescopically mounted in the other of said ends or" said second standard; a hoop and backboard assembly, including a hoop, a hoop support element and a backboard, said backboard having means releasably securing same to said hoop support, the backboard being adapted to be secured at selected distances from said hoop; and radially adjustable lock means interconnecting the second extension and hoop support element whereby the hoop and backboard assembly may be positioned at any selected one of a plurality of angles with respect to the second extension.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 926,426 Koch June 26, 1909 1,955,772 Roth Apr. 24, 1934 2,379,572 Gibson July 3, 1945 2,862,712 Delia et al. Dec. 2, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 520,656 Great Britain Apr. 30-, 1940 

